LG slims LCD TVs by 75 percent

Think today's TVs are cut too thick? Here's another way to thin-slice the market.

LG Display has announced a new "Art Slim" series of LED LCD TVs, featuring reduced depth and weight. At CES 2015 it will show 55- and 65-inch versions, which measure 7.5mm (0.3 inch) and 8.2mm (0.32 inch) deep respectively.

For everybody keeping score at home, LG's 55-inch OLED TV, model 55EC9300 , weighs 31.7 lbs sans stand and has a depth of 0.25 inches across most of its body (below). The exception is the part housing the power supply and connection bay, which bulges out a bit. Assuming LGD's new Art Slim sets need jacks too, I'm betting they also get fatter in places.

LG's 55-inch OLED TV in profile.
Sarah Tew

How do they get LED LCD TVs so slim? Take it away, press release:

"LG Display's 'Art Slim' product is the result of innovations in the mechanical structure that involve converting the back cover of the LCD module into the rear cover of the complete TV set, as well as a new method in attaching the rear cover to the panel based on conventional narrow bezel technology by minimizing the bezel width. LG Display has adopted the use of aluminum composite materials for the back cover of the LCD module that helps increases its rigidity while offering customized designs by employing various colors and patterns in the cover."

Along with LG Electronics, which sells TVs and many other products directly to consumers, LG Display is a subsidiary of LG Corp and manufactures LCD and other display components for a wide variety of companies. It started supplying "Art Slim" sets first to Chinese TV makers, "and plans to expand a full lineup in the 49-inch to 65-inch size range from 2015," according to the press release.